Louis was tired.
He had survived many disasters in his career.
Failed schedules. Impossible directors.
Celebrities who believed being difficult was part of their charm.
And, most recently, Mo Fei's emotional crisis, which had somehow turned into a group emergency where half the entertainment industry was trying to break down one apartment door.
He thought that was the limit. He had been wrong.
Because apparently, after surviving Mo Fei's disaster, the universe decided to send him another one.
Sima Li.
The first confession had almost been funny.
Almost.
After days of trying to reach Mo Fei, watching his apartment door remain firmly closed and pretending they were not terrified because admitting it meant admitting how badly the situation had affected him, everyone had gathered around with another ridiculous plan.
The living room had been filled with unfinished ideas, empty cups and people who were far too emotionally invested.
Nobody had a solution. They only had confidence.
Which was worse.
When the group needed supplies for another attempt to drag Mo Fei out of his apartment, Louis and Sima Li ended up going together.
It was supposed to be simple. Buy snacks, buy drinks and leave.
Unfortunately, Sima Li had other plans.
"Louis, I have decided."
Louis glanced at him from the shelves. "Decided what?"
"To pursue you."
Louis, "..."
Sima Li continued, completely serious. "I know you think I'm joking." A small smile appeared on his face. "But I'm not."
Louis looked away immediately.
"I like you, Louis."
The words landed heavier than he expected, Sima Li was not being dramatic. He was simply honest.
Louis picked up a drink and dropped it into the basket Sima Li was holding. "No."
Sima Li blinked. "You didn't even think about it."
"I thought about it for exactly two seconds." Louis sighed.
Sima Li's expression became deeply offended. "You rejected me without hesitation? Louis, you're cruel."
Louis had assumed that would be the end.
Unfortunately, Sima Li had interpreted rejection as a challenge.
A week later, Louis discovered that famous singers apparently had unlimited free time. Because Sima Li was everywhere.
The worst part was that he was not even subtle.
He was a celebrity. A famous singer with millions of fans, a man who could make an entire stadium scream his name.
And yet, somehow, he had decided his greatest achievement would be making Louis lose patience.
The irony was painful. Because Louis already had enough problems.
Every. Single. Day.
The first time it happened, Louis assumed it was coincidence. The second time, he knew it was intentional. By the third, he stopped questioning his life choices.
Which was why, when Lily entered his office carrying a massive bouquet, Louis did not even look surprised.
"Louis." Lily adjusted her grip on the flowers. "Another delivery."
Louis slowly lifted his eyes from his laptop.
The bouquet was enormous.
Ridiculously enormous.
There were roses, lilies, exotic flowers he could not even identify and enough decoration to make it look like someone had robbed a wedding.
Louis glanced towards the corner of his office. "Put it over there."
Lily followed his gaze and gasped The corner was already occupied. Multiple bouquets sat there.
Red roses.
White roses.
Purple flowers.
Expensive arrangements that probably cost more than some people's monthly salaries.
Lily slowly looked back at him. She carefully placed the bouquet onto the growing pile. Then she noticed the small chocolate box attached to the flowers.
She picked it up. "The woman chasing you must really like you."
Louis's fingers paused.
A woman. If only.
He looked at the mountain of flowers. Ridiculous persistence, ridiculous effort, ridiculous amount of money.
It was not a woman. It was a man. A very, very troublesome man.
Lily tilted her head.
Louis returned to typing. "It's just someone with too much money and too much free time."
Lily laughed. "That sounds romantic. She must really like you."
"It sounds like a problem."
"Sometimes those are the same thing."
Louis ignored her. Lily opened the chocolate box and offered one to him. He looked at it.
Another gift, another attempt, another reminder that Sima Li apparently believed persistence could defeat common sense.
He accepted the chocolate and tossed the box onto the pile beside the others.
Lily stared at the growing collection. "I wish I had a romance like this. To be loved and cherished so much…" She sighed dramatically. "You're truly lucky, Louis."
Louis finally looked up. "Be careful what you wish for."
Lily laughed. "You're so dramatic. But secretly, your face says you like it."
"My face says I need coffee." He returned to his work.
Lily shook her head, amused. "Whatever you say." She left the office, closing the door behind her.
Silence returned.
Finally.
Louis stared at the mountain of gifts, leaned back in his chair. "Sima Li…" He rubbed his forehead.
Artist.
He would get over this. That was all this was.
A temporary obsession, a ridiculous crush.
Nothing more.
There were several reasons why this would never work.
One.
Louis was older than him.
Not slightly. Not by a few months. Enough that Sima Li should probably have more sense.
Two.
Sima Li was famous. Extremely famous.
If his fans ever discovered that their beloved idol was chasing Louis from the shadows of the entertainment industry, Louis was fairly certain he would not survive the aftermath.
There would be chaos. Headlines, fan wars and possibly a funeral.
And three…
Louis's expression faded slightly. Three was the simplest reason.
It would never work.
Because some things were simply impossible.
He reached for the chocolate box he tossed and Opened it.
Inside were neatly arranged chocolates.
Expensive, carefully selected and annoyingly thoughtful.
Louis picked one up. He hesitated before he ate it.
The flavour spread slowly, it was bitter, exactly how he liked things.
Louis looked down at the chocolate in his hand. A small smile appeared before he could stop it.
Sima Li was annoying. His gifts were annoying.
His confessions were annoying.
And somehow…
Louis was starting to think he did not hate it as much as he should.
Mo Fei had finally returned to normal after his long disappearance, but the aftermath had left everyone exhausted.
Louis had barely recovered.
And now he had Sima Li.
Again.